Aging Flanders Reds

This is not a beer or style I like, so take what I am about to say with an understanding that I am reporting information secondhand that I have read in this portion of the forum:

That bee is usually considered to get closer and closer to vinegar the longer it is aged.

 

Rodenbach Grand Cru is definitely the classic example, Red Poppy and La Roja are great too.

In my experience, aged Duchesse wasn't any different from fresh, it may be pasteurized. I'd recommend Goudenband, an Oud Bruin that's practically tailor-made for aging.

I think the above may only be true if there's a lot of acetobacter in the beer to begin with.

 

Red Poppy is a fantastic Flanders Red and ages reasonably well. All of the Rodenbach vintages, Grand Cru, etc. are reliably excellent and readily available. Most domestic iterations of the style just can't match the Belgians. Aging is hit or miss and can result in some seriously acidic beer. Enjoy!

 

I much prefer Rodenbach Grand Cru and Duchesse de Bourgogne fresh (or at least not aged for many years). I find that they get start getting a bit unbalanced where the sourness doesn't match the sweetness when aged too long (don't know exactly how long, but above 2-3 years according to memory). To me these beers don't change short term.

Earlier this year, I had a 2007 Rodenbach Grand Cru, and it was dead.

No harm in keeping them for a year or two, but I would not set them aside for aging.

That being said, I've had the Rodenbach Vintage 2012 (Barrel No. 170) on two occasions last year and this year, and they were absolutely fantastic.